The Lithuanian customs service revealed a scheme for supplying equipment to Russia while bypassing sanctions
11 people involved in a company that supplied industrial equipment to Russia were detained in Lithuania.
The Customs Department under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania announced the discovery of a scheme to bypass international sanctions against Russia. It was assumed that the company in Kaunas tried to export water treatment equipment under the guise of fictitious recipients in Portugal.
On August 12th, customs conducted searches at five company premises. 11 employees, managers, and drivers (citizens of Moldova and Bulgaria), as well as two trucks, were detained. One truck was just loading equipment in Kaunas, and the second was moving towards the Lithuanian-Polish border. After interrogation, all detainees were released. Two of them received a preventive measure – a written undertaking not to leave the country.
According to preliminary data, a company from Kaunas developed a scheme to supply products to Russia. Portugal was the official buyer and recipient of goods. However, the goods were actually transported to Bulgaria, where they were supposed to be delivered to Turkey and then to a petrochemical company in Russia. The international operation was coordinated by Eurojust and Europol, with the participation of police officers from Portugal and Bulgaria.
